Schenectady City Hall closed due to flooding

Firefighters and city workers pumped water out of the basement of City Hall in Schenectady on Monday.

Photographer: Eric Jenks

Schenectady City Hall will remain closed Tuesday after the building’s basement was flooded with several feet of water.

It’s still unknown when the building will reopen. City officials will be taking it “on a day by day basis,” according to a statement from Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett.

Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy had said early Monday that he was hopeful City Hall could reopen on Tuesday, but after assessing the damage, it will have to wait at least another day. Crews worked throughout the morning and into the afternoon on Monday to pump water out of the basement, which was flooded after a water main break.

“Tomorrow we’re working on getting the electricity turned back on and working through the cleanup,” he said. “It’s not as fast as I’d like, but we’ll get it back up and open very soon.”

The exact cause of the break has not yet been determined, McCarthy said.

The basement contains some offices, a hot water heater, a furnace, and other mechanical equipment. McCarthy said the furnace is about a year-and-a-half old, and the hot water tank was about 9 months old. Both were damaged, he said.

The cost of the flooding has yet to be determined, but McCarthy said the city has insurance for instances like this.

Monday night’s scheduled City Council meeting was canceled as a result of the flooding. It will be rescheduled for a later date, and is likely to be an abbreviated meeting where only legislation is addressed. Other pieces of business, such as ceremonial resolutions, will be moved to the next scheduled full meeting.

In addition, Monday’s scheduled public hearing on the proposed amendment to the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program was relocated to the McChesney Room at the Schenectady County Library on Clinton Street.

City Hall is located at 105 Jay St. in downtown Schenectady. Fire trucks were stationed outside on Monday morning as pipes routed into the building spewed water back out onto the street.